Welcome to another edition of Recruiting Roundup! Today, we will check in on Mamadi Diakite, and preview five-star cornerback Levonta Taylor's upcoming decision.
Let's go!
Big Man on Grounds:
Blue Ridge big man Mamadi Diakite turned heads over the weekend at the Virginia top 80 event. In the midst of yet another dominating performance, Dikate revealed that is turning his attention to the recruiting process. Following the showcase, Rob Harrington reported that the Wahoos, along with Georgetown, USC, and Washington would get four of his five allotted official visits. While Virginia has an advantage in proximity right now, Diakite has the full attention of the west coast schools. In fact, UW head coach Lorenzo Romar made several trips across country to check out Diakite in person this past winter.
Tony Bennett was no stranger at the Blue Ridge School either, and several members of the current team joined the two-time ACC Coach of the Year in St. George on at least on occasion. Diakite is plenty familiar with the Cavalier program, and is friends with 2016 commit Sacha Killeya-Jones. Killeya-Jones has made it no secret that he intends to go hard after Diakite until he makes up his mind.
While the visits are still a ways away, there will be plenty to look out for in the next couple of months. For starters, which AAU team will Diakite play this summer? Also, will he stay at Blue Ridge, or will he transfer to a school up north for his senior year? If he does move, what impact will his new coaches, teammates, and environment have on his recruitment? It is going to be an interesting couple of months.
Possible transfer?
With the growing attrition rate nation wide, transfer recruiting has become just as prominent as regular recruiting in college basketball. On Wednesday, former UVa target, Indiana guard Stanford Robinson announced his intentions to transfer from the school. A release from the University suggested that Robinson desires to transfer to a school closer to home (Washington D.C.) where he could earn more playing time. Oddly enough, the rise of fellow former UVa target Robert Johnson was one of the primary reasons that Robinson saw his minutes decrease this season.
UVa currently has no more scholarships to give for next year's team, but if one becomes available, would Bennett reach out to Robinson? Would the D.C. native give Virginia another look?
The former four-star guard saw his playing time drop this season by almost five minutes, and would join an ultra-crowded UVa backcourt if all the stars aligned and he ended up in Charlottesville.
Decision Looming:
Switching over to football, where five-star Ocean Lakes cornerback Levonta Taylor's recruitment is winding down. Taylor announced on Monday night via Twitter that he will be making his college decision on April 3rd. If you had asked us a year ago, we would have told you that the Cavaliers were the odds on favorite to land the big-time defender, but obviously, things have changed. Taylor recently spent several days at Florida State, and his early commitment date is a great sign if you are a fan of the Noles.
Between Eli Harold, Corwin Cutler, Jahvoni Simmons, and T.J. Griffin, UVa has had plenty of success at Ocean Lakes High School, but once again, things have changed. We would not completely rule out the Orange and Blue, but FSU has a ton of momentum here.
Offers, Offers, and More Offers:
With three prospects already on board, UVa is looking to grow its class of 2016.
Lake Taylor cornerback Wayne Davis took in Virginia's practice in Scott Stadium over the weekend, and left grounds with an offer. Taylor holds over a dozen FBS offers, including Auburn, Clemson, Louisville, Michigan, North Carolina, and Virginia Tech among others. Rivals.com ranks Davis as the 7th best player in the state of Virginia and the number 20 cornerback nationally for the class of 2016. With Tre Nicholson and Maurice Canady graduating after this season, cornerback is a big-time position of need for the Wahoos.
On Monday, UVa reached out to a pair of Georgia prospects. Athlete Tyquan Statham and defensive end Jordan Smith became the latest 2016 prospects to receive Virginia offers. Statham currently holds offers from Cincinnati, Duke, East Carolina, Vanderbilt and Wake Forest.
Jordan is a sought-after defensive end, holding offers from Clemson, California, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Penn State, and Ole Miss among others.
Both prospects are rated three stars by Rivals.
That will do it for this week's edition of Recruiting Roundup! See ya!